Rakhiv Holocaust





After the "Vienna Arbitration" of 2 November 1938, the Czechs left the area and the nationalist Ukrainians declared this area as part of their independent country on 22 November 1938, with Chust as its capital. The Ruthenians "divided" the Jewish property and prepared to engage in a general campaign of pillage. They also assembled a "black list" of Jewish kulaks (persons of wealth) who were marked for elimination and death. However, this autonomous area was short lived—only lasting until 15 March 1939.
When the Hungarian army conquered the Czech side (northern part) of Máramaros, in mid-March 1939, and wiped out the Ukrainian gangs, the Jews were able to breathe a collective sigh of relief, as they felt that they had been saved from a certain slaughter. However, the bitter frustrations of the conquering Hungarian army were not slow in coming. In a very short time, the Hungarian regime displayed its full cruel and inhuman treatment.

Dozens of the Jewish young men of Rakhiv took the opportunity of slipping across the nearby Soviet border (after the ill-fated Molotov-Ribbentropp agreement partitioning Poland) in order to move into areas occupied by the Red army. Many of the young men were taken in by the Soviet and Communist propaganda about internationalism and the "garden of eden with red leaves" across the border. To their amazement, they were all arrested by the Soviet authorities and accused of being spies or "suspicious elements" and sent to slave labor and concentration camps around the Soviet Union, mostly in Siberia. Many of them perished in horrifying ways in these camps. Those who survived, joined in the war against the Germans, either by being drafted into the Red army or by volunteering for the Czech brigade, commanded by General SWOBODA.
In 1941, the Jews of Rakhiv suffered the decrees of the Hungarian civil administration. Several dozen Jews of Rakhiv, who could not pay for the proper documents, were exiled in July 1941. Units of the Hungarian gendarme came to Rakhiv with lists of names. They went from house to house rounding up families and took them to the train station. There they were loaded onto rail cars—without knowing their destination. They were taken to the border station at Yasin-Zamir, and from there, they were taken by truck to Poland—most arrived in the area of Kamenetz-Podolski—where they were murdered.
Survivors from Rakhiv assembled the following list of 12 families exiled at this time. This list is fragmentary, and there were certainly another 4 or 5 families included in this tragedy. They included Dr. Monio ADLERSTEIN and his wife, Moshe LOTTMAN and his wife, Isadore SIRMAI and his wife, Laichi STEINER and his wife, Abraham TAUBMAN and his wife, Mendel KRUMHOLTZ, Isaac HOS and his son Hirsh, Lazer HAMBURGER and his wife, Isaac KONITZ and his family, Isaac WOLF and his wife and sons, SIMONOVICH and his family, ASHER the milkman and his family.
Only two families managed to escape this horror and return to Hungary. SIMONOVICH brought back his entire family (13 people) through forests and mountains and ten members of the KRUMHOLTZ family of Berlbash, through a series of harrowing and hair-raising incidents, succeeded in returning to Hungary. The rest of the exiles met their death by drowning in the Dneister river, by being shot by the Hungarian or German army near Kamenetz-Podolski or in other ways.
The day after Passover 5704 (16 April 1944), the general roundup of all Rakhiv's Jews began. They were housed in the school, opposite the town council building. It took eight days to complete the roundup and on the ninth day, they were all taken to the railroad station and sent to the well known and despised ghetto, in Matte-Salke. Here, the Jews of Rakhiv cowered for a month or so and then were transported to Auschwitz. It is estimated that about 1,200 of Rakhiv's Jews died either at Auschwitz or at other camps.
In the fall of 1944, the first survivors started to make their way from the "valley of death," having been liberated from the death camps. They lived as a single family and tried to revive communal life.

In 1945, additional survivors joined them returning from concentration camps in Germany. The shochet Zev GREIF, returned to his holy tasks and was the only mohel in the region until his death, 11 Adar 5734 (5 March 1974). A regular minyan was organized in a private house. The synagogue had been confiscated and was off limits—now being used as a warehouse and for other purposes.
At the end of 1945, and in early 1946, most of the Jews left Rakhiv for Israel. A few stayed in Rakhiv, but eventually those individuals also left for Israel and elsewhere.
Sources:
Rachov portion of Sefer Mármaros, translated by Eldad M. GANIN, USA
~ Rakhiv Holocaust Data ~
Nevek Deportation List
The names below comprise the names of
individuals found in the deportation lists.
Source: The Deportation List database at the Nevek-Klarsfeld web site.

Disclaimer: The following names were found searching the Nevek-Klarsfeld web site for individuals born in or last known address of Rakhov. Duplicate names may or may not be the same person. Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, the list is incomplete.

If your family member is not listed below, see the Yad Vashem Archives - Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names, a more complete database of names.
( * = Not transcribed; -né suffix at the end of a name = Mrs. )
NAME DOB NAME DOB NAME DOB
ABIS, Vilmos 1921 GASNER, Istvanne 1913 PETROVAN, Abraham 1922
ADLER, Mendelne 1908 GASZNER, Izsak 1911 POLLAK, Izsak 1923
ADLERSTEIN, David 1899 GLUCK, Abraham 1899 POLLAK, Jozsef 1926
BERGER, Israel 1923 GLUCK, David 1905 PREISLER, Marton 1912
BERGER, Kalman 1909 GLUCK, Jakab 1907 RABARBER, Hermann 1905
BITTMAN, Gizi 1923 GLUCK, Salamon 1903 RAUCH, Bernat 1924
BITTMANN, Berta 1918 GOLDBERGER, * 1905 REZMOVICS, Ezra 1921
BRESSLER, Mozes 1908 GROSZ, Lipot 1910 REZMOVICS, Lajos 1926
BRUNWASSER, Zsigmond 1918 GRUNZWEIG, Heinrich 1929 REZMOVICS, Lipot 1929
DAVIDOVITS, Beni 1906 GUBNER, Jeno 1928 REZMOVITS, Moric 1900
EDELSTEIN, Edith 1926 GUTH, * 1904 REZMOVITS, Salamon 1898
ENGEL, Herman 1925 GUTTMANN, Mihaly 1927 ROSENBERG, Adolf 1922
ERBST, Herman 1925 HERCZ, Nandorne 1904 ROSENBERG, Elias 1908
ERBST, Hezkel 1915 HOFFMAN, David 1929 ROSENTHAL, Imre 1909
ERBST, Jozsef 1910 HOFFMAN, Marton 1925 ROSENTHAL, Izidor 1905
ERBST, Simon 1921 HOLLANDER, Mozes 1903 ROSENTHAL, Izrael 1937
ERBST, Simon 1927 HOLLENDER, Herman 1926 ROSZLER, Adolfne *
ERBST, Zsigmond 1920 HOROVITZ, Sandor 1906 SAJOVITS, Izrael 1924
ERBSZT, Sari 1919 JAGER, Alexander 1923 SCHEIN, Jozsef 1906
FARKAS, Adolf 1911 JEGER, Icik 1925 SCHEINER, Armin 1904
FARKAS, Albert 1924 JEGER, Izsak 1925 SCHEINER, Henrik 1916
FARKAS, Lazar 1913 KAHAN, Lebi 1897 SCHEINER, Mano 1920
FEIG, Ancsel 1913 KAHAN, Mihaly 1904 SCHMERLER, Izsak 1925
FEIG, Anschel 1913 KAMIL, Dezso 1931 SCHUCK, Izidor 1913
FEIG, Antonia 1899 KATZ, David 1912 SICHERMANN, Rozsi *
FEIG, Henrik 1911 KATZ, Geza 1909 SLOVAK, Ferencne 1901
FEIG, Isak 1923 KATZ, Majer 1913 STERN, Sandor 1912
FEIG, Izsak 1923 KATZ, Mozes 1902 STRASSLER, Jenone 1907
FEIG, Jeno 1905 KATZ, Szimha 1919 TAUB, Mozes 1900
FEIG, Jozsef 1909 KAUFMANN, Frida 1925 TESSLER, Izrael 1925
FEIG, Jozsef 1913 KAUFMANN, Hermanne 1897 TESZLER, Izsak 1905
FEIG, Lenke 1917 KAUFMANN, Manci 1927 TESZLER, Salamon 1912
FEIG, Moric 1895 KLEIN, Magda 1918 WEISNER, Jenni 1926
FEIG, Mozes 1907 KLEINBERGER, Vilmos 1898 WEISNER, Zseni 1926
FEIG, Samu * KREINDLER, Izsak 1916 WEISZ, Gyula 1928
FESZTER, Mor 1904 KREINDLER, Rozsi 1931 WEISZ, Nandor 1915
FISCHER, Herman 1929 KRUMPHOLZ, Mor 1905 WIESEL, Hermanne 1885
FISCHER, Samuel 1925 LAUTMANN, Imre Dr. 1908 WOLF, Arthurne 1920
FOGEL, Abraham 1924 MULLER, Mihaly 1918 ZWECKER, Izidor 1926
FOGEL, David 1892 MULLER, Mozes 1922 ZWECKER, Kalman 1924
FORSTER, Izrael * NEMETH, Gyula 1927 ZWECKER, Rezso 1903
FRISCH, Elek 1907 NEUMANN, Henrik 1916 ZWEIG, David 1929
FUCHS, Herman 1928 NEUMANN, Izidor 1914 ZWEIG, Majer 1897
GANZ, Mozes 1907 OSZTERREICHER, Palne 1872
GARTNER, Efraim 1917 PERL, Zalman 1920




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Compiled and created by:
Marshall J. KATZ
with assistance from:

Nevek-Klarsfeld
Yad Vashem Archives
Amos Israel ZEZMER, France
and the following:

JewishGen members/descendants and
contributors of Rakhiv Jewish families:


Eldad M. GANIN, USA
Updated: 11 November 2020
Copyright ©2011
Marshall J. KATZ
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